1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to tack boxes, which are used for the storage and safeguarding of saddles, bridles, grooming implements and other related gear by persons engaged in equestrian activities.
2. Background—Discussion of Prior Art
Currently, commercially available tack boxes, trunks, chests or lockers primarily consist of rectangular, box-like structures each with a single hinged lid or door. These structures are meant to be one-piece and are not capable of being collapsed or broken down into smaller segments, which would facilitate transporting them or storing them when not in use. With rare exception, most tack boxes that are currently marketed, as evidenced by a review of multiple equestrian-related periodicals and catalogs, do not contain saddle racks and, in any event, are not made large enough to comfortably hold even a single standard-sized Western-style saddle, which is larger than its English-style counterpart.
Within the United States, the majority of participants in recreational equestrian activities are women, reportedly as high as 80% of all participants and numbering in the millions. Additionally, a good percentage of these participants own or, in other cases, lease horses and board said horses at public or private stables owned by third parties. It is common, in such circumstances, for the boarder to keep what tack she owns at the stable facility, conveniently near her horse(s). The quality and extent of amenities available for the protection and security of such boarder-owned tack likely varies widely from facility to facility, and many boarders choose to augment that protection by use of lockable tack boxes. In such circumstances, tack boxes keep an owner's gear, including her saddle, protected from airborne dirt and dust, which are always kicked up in and around stable areas; from damage by rodents; and from unauthorized borrowing or theft.
Most commercially available tack boxes fall short in one way or another in terms of the typical boarder's needs or financial capacity. Most are not large enough to hold a full complement of gear and a Western-style saddle, or they don't have a saddle rack to properly support the saddle or, in the rare case where a saddle rack is included, the tack boxes are overbuilt, expensive and targeted toward the equestrian professional. As a result, many boarders make do with homemade wooden fixtures. And because few horse people, to the extent this group reflects the characteristics of the general population, are experienced in, or inclined to do woodworking, many boarders must rely on relatives or friends to help them design and build functional tack boxes.
Another need that warrants consideration in this area is portability. Intuitively, there will be many occasions when a horse boarder will want to relocate her horse(s) and gear from one stable to another. She may become unhappy with a change in circumstances at her existing stable location, or she may find a more attractive place to board, or she herself may relocate and want to find a new stable for her horse(s) nearer her new home. In any event, tack boxes currently on the market that are large enough to comfortably accommodate and protect both saddle and gear will be too heavy and bulky for one person to move, and at least a small truck or trailer would be needed to do the job.